Writing for Popular Mechanics, David Grossman highlights a feasibility study by MIT researchers that provides evidence that lasers could be used to try to locate aliens. Grossman explains that the light would be targeted toward “areas like Proxima Centauri, the closest star to Earth, and TRAPPIST-1, a star around 40 light-years away with seven exoplanets in orbit.”
MIT researchers examined why a third of Wikipedia deliberations go unresolved and developed a new tool that could be used to help resolve more discussions, reports Samantha Cole for Motherboard. Cole explains that “the tool uses the data they found and analyzed in this research, to summarize threads and predict when they’re at risk of going stale.”
USA Today reporter Brett Molina writes that MIT researchers have found laser technology could be used to attract the attention of aliens. The researchers found “creating a 1- to 2-megawatt laser focused through a telescope aimed toward space could produce a light strong enough to stand out from the energy produced by the sun."
TechCrunch reporter Ingrid Lunden highlights RapidSOS, an MIT startup that “helps increase the funnel of information that is transmitted to emergency services alongside a call for help.”
Motherboard reporter Jason Koebler writes about how MIT alumnus Ben Adida has started a non-profit aimed at building a safe and open-source voting machine. Koebler explains that Adida plans to use “already existing, commodity hardware and open-source software to compete with the proprietary, expensive, and often insecure voting machines that currently dominate the market.”
UPI reporter Tauren Dyson writes that a new feasibility study by MIT researchers shows that existing laser technology could be used to create a beacon light that could attract attention from as far as 20,000 light years away.
MIT researchers have found that laser technology could be used to attract attention from alien astronomers, reports Becky Ferreira for Motherboard. The researchers found that amplifying an infrared laser could “produce a signal that would outshine the Sun’s infrared emissions tenfold, an anomaly that would stand out to a smart species observing our solar system from a distant exoplanet.”
Writing for The Conversation, Prof. Tauhid Zaman discusses his research showing how a small number of very active social media bots can have a significant impact on public opinion. Zaman notes that his findings are “a reminder to be careful about what you read – and what you believe – on social media.”
In honor of the late Prof. Michel Dertouzos’ 82nd birthday, Google honored the renowned computer scientist for his work with a special doodle, reports Nina Godlewski for Newsweek. "Michael had a broad understanding of technology and a teacher's knack for explaining ideas," says Prof. Emeritus Fernando Corbató.
Writing for the Financial Times, Maura Herson, assistant dean of the Sloan MBA Program, underscores the benefits of providing mentorship for women. “One of the greatest things women can do to support each other is to become mentors and bring up the women behind them,” Herson writes.
Smithsonian reporter Randy Rieland writes that MIT researchers have developed a machine learning model that can detect speech and language patterns associated with depression. The researchers note that the system is intended to assist, not replace clinicians. “We’re hopeful we can provide a complementary form of analysis,” explains Senior Research Scientist James Glass.
Deborah Blum, director of the Knight Science Journalism Program, speaks with Boston Globe reporter Michael Floreak about her book exploring the origins of food regulation in the U.S. The book, “reminded me why these rules are so important and what a thin line they are between us and the bad old days of the 19th century when cookbook authors had to warn their readers about fake food,” she explains.
Boston Globe reporter Katie Johnston speaks with several MIT researchers about their work developing technology that is aimed at improving collaboration between humans and robots. Prof. Julie Shah notes that offloading easier decisions onto a machine “would allow people to focus on the parts of job that truly require human judgment and experience.”
The life and legacy of Prof. Michael Dertouzos, who was “renowned for making complicated technology accessible to the general public,” is celebrated in a new Google doodle, reports Helen Rogers for CNN. Rogers notes that Dertouzos “predicted how the internet and the rise of personal computers would impact people's lives.”
Boston Herald reporter Jordan Graham writes that MIT researchers have developed an autonomous system that allows fleets of drones to navigate without GPS and could be used to help find missing hikers. “What we’re trying to do is automate the search part of the search-and-rescue problem with a fleet of drones,” explains graduate student Yulun Tian.